It’s been less than 48 hours since I arrived in Paris, and needless to say, I’ve been experiencing a bit of  jet lag. I woke up at 4:30 a.m., and was relieved to discover my husband was having the same problem. We decided to forgo the tossing and turning and instead head out together for a brisk morning walk.

The end goal? Land at a boulangerie that would serve us freshly baked croissants and espresso at this unreasonable hour.

We wandered around the area near our apartment, the chic Marais neighborhood in the 3^rd arrondissement (city district), with little luck in the way of finding breakfast. Most of the streets were still. Shops were closed, except for a butcher or two unloading the day’s supplies into their boucheries, and a few café owners, who were beginning to distribute colorful, wicker chairs and bistro tables onto the sidewalks.

But even at the break of dawn, it’s easy to keep yourself plenty occupied in Paris. In fact, empty sidewalks make for ideal window shopping in a city where store displays are an art form in and of themselves! Here’s a glimpse at what I saw on my morning-stroll-turned-fashion-scouting.